E/R NHIS registers 45% of population

Anyinam (E/R), Sept.3, GNA - A total of 937,338 people have subscribed to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the Eastern region as at June this year, Deputy Regional Minister, Mr Ofosu Asamoah, said on Monday.

He said the figure represented 45 percent of the region's population of 2.1 million with total premium amounting to 29.2 billion cedis.

Mr Asamoah, who was speaking at the first Annual General Meeting of the Atiwa District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme (DMHIS) at Anyinam, said the Kwahu West scheme recorded the highest coverage of 63 percent. He commended the Atiwa DMHIS for registering 42 percent in its first year of operation but urged the staff to work extra hard to achieve the 55 percent target for the year.

Mr Asamoah advised health providers to forge a healthier relationship with the schemes and to guard against arbitrary charges. Osabarima Adade Boateng II, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Atiwa DMHIS, said it had registered 41,662 members as of June this year out of en estimated population of 98,500.

He said between January and July this year, the scheme mobilized 771,852,000 cedis as premium and also received 3.2 billion cedis as claims subsidy from the government. An amount of 2.5 billion cedis was paid as hospital bills on behalf of 35,472 clients.

Osabarima Boateng said the government, through the National Health Insurance Council (NHIC), had given the scheme with a Toyota Pick-Up vehicle, a motorbike, bicycle and four computers. Mr Kwasi Osei-Agyepong, Atiwa District Chief Executive, urged management of the scheme to adhere to the various regulations and instruments relating to financial administration and public procurement in its operations.